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Leonardo Simmons
Leonardo Darrell Simmons, bettern known as "Leo" amongst peers, was an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper who served as an enlisted member of the UNSC Marine Corps, and later served as an Officer in the UNSC Navy during the Human-Covenant War. He was rewarded a Navy battlefield commission to the grade of Ensign by the Office of Naval Intelligence during the Battle of Sydney in 2552. He continued service in the UNSC Navy post war until his eventual retirement in 2598. Early Life Leonardo Simmons was born on the 17th of June, 2531, in the city of New Alexandria, on the planet Reach. His father, Leonardo Simmons the first, was a Rear Admiral, who was killed in an Orbital skirmish later that year. As a direct result of this, he grew up with only a mother to care for him. As a direct result of a lack of a strict male authoritative figure, he grew unruly, and did not gain a very good education when he was young. He also gained the permanent nickname of "Leo". Some of his educators even went so far to declare him "mildly retarded". However, this was not the case; in actuality, Leo was very quick witted, quickly becoming street smart and able to fend for himself. However, his chronic behavioral issues finally reached the boiling point at the age of 15 with his mother, who sent him to the Viery Military Academy for a year of study. Leo had no choice but to conform to the Marine Corps-run school, and soon found that he liked the military lifestyle. Forced to comply to rigid academic standards, he initially struggled to pull mediocre marks. At the end of the academic year, he returned to New Alexandria a changed person, and kept to the straight-and-narrow. He even repaired relations with his mother, which had almost been severed by his previous behavioral issues. Service in UNSC Marine Corps When Leo reached of age of 18 in 2549, he immediately attempted to join the UNSC Marine Corps. When the recruiting officer met with Leo, he informed the young applicant that the ODSTs might be the way for him to go, and offered him the paperwork to join the Marine Corps. Leo signed, and began his career as a Marine. Basic Training Simmons was sent off to Camp Peleliu in July 2549, and began the training to become a Marine. The nickname of "Leo", again, followed him and became a permanent nickname. His prior knowledge of military discipline and bearing from his year at the Viery Military Academy granted him a position as squad leader. He served this position to the best of his ability, becoming renown as being a logical and effective leader. He was, however, seen as a little lacking in terms of book smarts. Leo also qualified as "expert" on his pistol marksmanship test, and as "sharpshooter" for his rifle marksmanship test, qualifying him for additional training with more powerful and precise weapons. He was then trained to offensively operate the Weapon/Anti-Vehicle Model 4 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle (M4 G/GNR), in addition to the Sniper Rifle System 99 Anti-Matériel (SRS99) - and graduated basic training, with the rank of Private First Class, before being shipped off to ODST training. Orbital Drop Shock Trooper Private First Class Leonardo Simmons was issued orders to Camp Helljumper in October 2549 - the ODST training facility on Reach, thanks to his recruiters' recommendation and requests, and his high scores in the first two screenings. Leo was immediately unofficially stripped of his rank upon arrival (like all recruits), and forcefully submitted to the ritual indignity of head shaving. He then joined the ranks of almost 150 other ODST trainees, and fallen into formation. The camp commandant, Major Ashley Lewis, then appeared before the troopers and spoke to the recruits about how tough the ODST corps were supposed to be, and how many applicants were simply not tough enough. She went on to explain just how difficult the six months of training would be, before informing the recruits that they were to go “enjoy” a 6-kilometer “leisurely stroll” up a nearby mountain - dubbed "Mount Helljumper" - lead by the Major herself, and followed by the entire Camp Helljumper staff. Any recruit that fell out during the run was drummed out of the program - the mentality shared by almost all UNSC special forces at the time. Leo, being fresh out of basic training, was able to accomplish this feat, if only just. By the end of the run, the ranks of the recruits had thinned from about 150 to about 60, and the Major noted in an announcement following the reaching of the peak, that this was merely the first of many exercises the troopers would be a part of. The exercise of running up "Mount Helljumper" became fairly regular for the recruits, in addition to it being a frequent TTR battleground for recruit/trainer battles. Leo became quite proficient with the battlefield use and application of the ODST M7/S Submachine gun, and the M6D - in addition to gaining a fair amount of proficiency with most commonly fielded UNSC weapons. 58 trainees of the class, including Leo, passed the fighting and tactics portion of the course, and proceeded on to drop training. He and his class were then introduced, and instructed on the controls and the operation of the Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle. They were then submitted to simulated drops and scenarios during drops. In the final phrase of the training, the act of dropping into a combat scenario and fighting were to be merged and taught. The recruits were then taught how to deploy and regroup to become an effective fighting force once on the ground. This was drilled into the almost-troopers over the course of two and a half weeks. The recruits were then jetted up to orbit, and aboard a Frigate, the UNSC Laffy. The troopers were then briefed on a scenario - they were to be dropped from orbit, land in a predesignated area, regroup, and fight a better armed, well fortified enemy. The troopers boarded their pods, and dropped in what was considered a routine combat drop. The 58 pods fell from orbit, and landed in the predesignated area at night - directly in the line of fire from a large fortified installation, manned by the ODST trainers. The recruit commander was picked off by snipers shooting TTR, resulting in Leo taking the initiative and leading a charge on the facility. The recruits took 60% simulated losses getting into the facility alone. Leo himself was "wounded" by TTR fire, but aided the "surviving" two dozen troopers in the incapacitating the trainers. Following the successful completion of this exercise, the 58 Marines graduated the Orbital Drop Shock Trooper course mid-May 2550, and earned the right to wear the flaming skull ODST crest on their Battle Dress Uniforms, and the ODST service ribbon on their Dress Whites. Leo and a few other troopers were dispatched orders to report to the Corvette UNSC Suffex, which was commanded by Lieutenant Commander Julio Hamler. The Suffex was en-route to Paris IV, to aid UNSC forces insystem. He arrived onboard, and reported to his unit - 3rd Platoon, Delta Company, 14th ODST Shock Troops. He briefly acquainted himself with the older ODSTs, and dubbed the "Rookie", before being cryogeniclly frozen, as per standard protocol for non-essential personnel during a Slipspace trip. Siege of Paris IV The UNSC Suffex arrived insystem on the 17th of June, 2550. However, the ODSTs aboard had already been awoken and ready for a combat drop, before it was discovered that the warship arrived too late - all UNSC units able to be withdrawn were withdrawn, and the colony had been glassed by the Covenant a month before. Leo had the opportunity to see the glassed husk of the planet - the first of many he would see in his career, before being frozen again for the the vessel transitioning back into slipspace, to return to Reach for reassignment. Battle of Gamma Pavonis-VII The Suffex returned to Reach on the 24th of July, 2550 and its crew gained a week of shore leave, while the ship received modifications. Leo took the opportunity to return to New Alexandria, and catch up with friends and his aging mother, before reluctantly returning to the Suffex. The Suffex received orders on the 3rd of August, attaching it to the 9th Corvette Flotilla (CORFLOT 9), which was ordered to patrol the Gamma Pavonis system. The Flotilla consisted of 2 other Corvettes - the UNSC Majestic and Dauntless. The Flotilla departed Reach on the 5th of August, and, again, the nonessential personnel were frozen. The small warships arrived on station on the 12th of August, interdicting human shipping, navigating outside of a UNSC protected convoy, to enforce the imperative Cole Protocol, . However, this mission was interrupted by a distress call from the UNSC Corvette Hilbert, in combat over Gamma Pavonis VII with a Covenant Destroyer. CORFLOT 9 made best speed to the battle area, and immediately moved to engage the Covenant Destroyer attacking the Hilbert. However, given the light armament of the Corvettes and the energy shields on the Destroyer - the results were negligible. Private Simmons and other ODSTs onboard the Majestic and Dauntless were woken up and prepared to repel possible boarders. The Destroyer moved to engage the 9th Corvette Flotilla, ignoring the damaged Hilbert. The Covenant Destroyer then gained a critical hit on the UNSC Suffex, forcing it to withdraw from the immediate battle area. The CORFLOT 9 Corvettes continued fire, but their weapons were simply ineffectual against the larger warship. Onboard the UNSC Hilbert, Lieutenant Commander Miranda Keyes, commanding officer of the UNSC Hilbert, ordered all remaining ordinance to be expended, and ordered the Hilbert to overload her engines, and ram into the enemy vessel. The resulting collision (and the Hilbert's destruction) knocked down the the destroyer's shields, and the kinetic force nudged the vessel into Gamma Pavonis-VII's gravity well. However, only Commander Keyes and one other crewmember made it off the Hilbert alive. The Majestic collected the two survivors, and, on the 13th of August 2550, the 9th Corvette Flotilla made best speed via faster then light "Slipspace" travel back to Reach to report Covenant activity in the sector. The Battle (and glassing) of Draco III The UNSC Suffex and the rest of the 9th Corvette Flotilla limped back to Reach on 21st of August 2551. The damaged Suffex was immediately ordered to report to a orbiting shipyard for repairs. The crew and ground forces were unfrozen, and told to pack their effects, as the entire crew was to be transferred to another newly completed vessel for an immediate deployment. Delta Company, including First Platoon from the Suffex, of the 14th Shock Troops was transferred aboard the UNSC DeRyter, a picket Frigate. The warship was straight out of its trials, and was receiving its combat detachment of Marines and ODSTs. Private First Class Simmons was still considered the Rookie of his Platoon, having no combat experience at all, but received a promotion to Lance Corporal. The DeRyter was ordered to Draco III, to picket and safeguard the planet, along with a few other UNSC vessels, as Covenant activity had been spotted in the system. The DeRyter shipped out on the 7th of December, 2550, and arrived in orbit around Draco III on the 3rd of January, 2551, and proceeded to unfreeze its crew. The warship was in orbit for no longer then a few days, when, on the 6th of January, a Covenant Crusier appeared out of Slipspace in orbit around the planet, and launched fighters and dropships. The DeRyter, being the closest UNSC vessel, moved to engage the Corvette, launching fighters to engage the Covenant singleships. A Corvette, the UNSC Perseus, was ordered back to Reach to request reinforcements. Then, the few UNSC orbital assets converged and fought a lengthy battle, before managing to destroy the Corvette, the DeRyter taking severe damage as a result, along with another Frigate and a pair of Corvettes. The DeRyter was given orders to drop its ODSTs over the Covenant landing zone. The Covenant had managed to land a large number troops during the space battle, despite UNSC fighters and ARCHER missiles shooting down hundreds of single ships. At 0864 on the 8th of January 2551, the DeRyter dropped the 96 ODSTs of Delta Company from orbit, in their SOEIV pods, to clear a landing zone in the "hot" area for the Marines to be deployed by Pelican. Corporal Simmons landed hard in the correct landing zone, and regrouped with his ODST unit, which quickly split up into platoons to take more ground faster. Simmon's group, along with the other two companies, met erratic Covenant resistance which was quickly quickly blown through, allowing for the landing zone to be secured quickly, and with only 17 casualties, with 5 dead. Marine forces, comprised of four infantry companies and a armored company, touched down at the landing zone at 1040, and began their assault on the Covenant forces, with the ODSTs supporting the armored units spearheading the offensive. The attacking forces flushed out the region, encountering little resistance; up until news came down from orbit that a Covenant squadron had arrived in orbit. Leo and the rest of the deployed UNSC forces were rapidly extracted, along with any and all civilians that could be fit aboard fleeing vessels. All UNSC warships (bar an ONI stealthed light frigate, the UNSC Wessex, ordered to observe the planet for intelligence purposes) transitioned into slipspace, abandoning the 131 million civilians left on the planet of Draco III to their fate. Battle of Ballast The UNSC DeRyter returned to Reach on the 11th of February, 2551. Corporal Simmons and the entirety of the Marine contingent on the DeRyter were transferred planet side for a three month bout of training, requalification and modernization. Once firmly on the ground, every last marine took (and received) leave; Leonardo included, and disappeared for a few days. On the 30th of February, the DeRyter was deployed to the distant colony of Ballast, following the arrival of a sloop bearing news of a Covenant assault on the colony. The DeRyter was attached to Task Force 45.2 and departed immediately. Task Force 45.2 arrived at Ballast on the 17th of May - long after the initial Covenant force was beaten off. Given that Ballast was a forward operations command, an important source of refined deuterium and titanium also with the possession of a sizable navy yard, it was deemed worthwhile to maintain the Task Force in Ballast orbit in the likely event of Covenant attack. For two entire months, most of the Task Force patrolled within a lightyear or two of Ballast, executing training maneuvers. The marine forces were offloaded to construct defenses, condict remedial training and modernization. By now, Corporal Simmons had command of his own fireteam, dubbed "Juliet", and became increasingly competent in tactical command. He was fast tracked to proportion to Sergeant a month later, following the training death of one of the company sergeants. On the 22nd of July, the task force finally received new orders to evacuate the bulk of UNSC forces, willing colonists and valuable material from Ballast and return to Reach, leaving only a token defensive force. The marines were reembarked and the Task Force left for Reach on 25 July, arrive at Reach on the 13th of August. Immediately, the Task Force became aware of the declaration of WINTER CONTINGENCY and was engulfed into the Battle of Reach. Battle of Reach Battle of Earth Career Service Vitae (Entry retrieved from PERSCOM database under "CAPT. LEONARDO D. SIMMONS, UNSC NAVY", 0900 hours, March 8th, 2574) Decorations Major Awards of Merit Navy Cross: *Awarded March 15, 2553 *Citation: "For extreme heroism and selfless action in the face of impossible odds while serving as an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper in Charlie Company, 11th Shock Troops Battalion during the Battle of Sydney, namely the events of October 20, 2552. After landing one and a half kilometers away from his units rally point, Gunnery Sergeant Leonardo Simmons mustered up a few troops he came across, and rushed to the aid of his unit, which came under fire from a much larger enemy unit while he was en-route. Upon arrival, he discovered that his unit was under heavy sniper fire, which killed the only Designated Marksman at the rally point at the time. At great risk of his life, he sprinted across 150 feet of exposed terrain with no cover, dodging streaks of energy from Covenant Beam Rifles, and upon reaching the position the marksman went down at, seized the Sniper Rifle, and immediately began engaged hostile snipers. He successfully gunned down six of these snipers, despite several near misses, freeing up his Company to set up defenses for a rapidly approaching Covenant armored column and supporting infantry. Upon the arrival of the large mass of Covenant forces, he and other ODSTs of Charlie Company bravely held their ground, gunning down hundreds of Covenant infantry, until Covenant armored units appeared. The Company commander ordered the Company back, but the force of ODSTs were pinned down. However, Sergeant Simmons bravely ordered the troops to fall back, and began engaging the enemy with his 'Spartan Laser', and a Rocket Launcher retrieved from a downed comrade. He single handily destroyed four Wraith-type tanks and killed dozens of infantry, providing ample time for the before being knocked unconscious by the explosion of a nearby plasma mortar. Believing the Gunnery Sergeant to be dead, due to the lack of medical personnel and medical biometrics, his Company continued to retreat, leaving Simmons to find his way to HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6. Gunnery Sergeant Leonardo Simmons' undeniable bravery and initiative saved Charlie Company to fight another day, and reflects the highest credit upon Gunnery Sergeant Simmons and the United Nations Marine Corps." Distinguished Service Medal *Awarded January 6, 2550 *Citation: "Awarded to Leonardo Simmons, Lance Corporal, Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, United Nations Space Command Marine Corps, for distinguished and meritorious service with UNSC forces in combat with the Covenant on the surface of the human settlement of Draco III, aiding in saving a significant portion of the population of Draco III." Silver Star *Awarded August 30, 2552 *Citation: "For gallantry in action, Sergeant Leonardo Simmons distinguished himself in action and during the evacuation of the Reach capital of New Miskolc, during the Fall of Reach." Legion of Merit *Awarded March 15, 2553 *Citation: "For extrodinary show of devotion and heroism while serving with Delta Company, 14th Shock Troops, in action during the Battle of Sydney."